Pain Transference
by Asuralations
Summary: A girls' night out gone wrong! An assassination attempt against Zojja puts Tippa out of commission, and its up to her friends to save the day! Can Zojja and Batanga put aside their differences to save the snaff savant and defeat an insane alchemist? Find out in this follow up to Heart Inverter!
1. Chapter 1: The Setup

**Author's Note:** There's no rampant sex or blood in this, so don't let the M rating throw you off. The majority of this fic is T (for Teen!), but there are some colorful jokes later on and I'm just being safe. I'll mark the chapter that might seriously offend for the more sensitive readers.

* * *

"Come on Zojja, don't make that face!" I sighed. "This is for YOU remember?"

Zojja snorted in reply. "I don't see why I couldn't just "relax" in Rata Sum. Lion's Arch is just a dismal conglomeration of spare nautical equipment and ex-pirates with grand aspirations."

"Exactly! The complete opposite of Rata Sum. Such an eccentric change in scenery will do you good!" I chirped.

The two of us are standing in front of the fountain in the city's main plaza. I still get bad feelings off of it, but it was the city's most defining feature and easy for anyone to located. As the sun sets in the distance, the last warm rays disappear over the horizon. It's pleasantly cool, with a light breeze coming from the sea. We're waiting on our third member to arrive up before we head out for a night on the town.

Zojja grumbled under her breath. I didn't force her to come, but an observer wouldn't think so. As if I, Tippa, the Snaff Savant, Pact Commander and all around genius could ever make her do anything. A few days ago I went to her lab to borrow a flux-reinforced vorpal hammer to find the place in a state of chaos. Zojja's notorious temper was on full display, and from the smoke and small fires, something had gone horribly wrong. I stepped in and suggested she take a break, to clear her head (as well as give her poor krewe some reprieve). At first she resisted, but after pointing out several simple errors I'd noticed just being there for a few minutes, she agreed that she "might need to step back from her work to gain some perspective."

Thus we're waiting in Lion's Arch to go out for some extracurricular activities. She's in her usual clothes, the blue and gold tunic with all the pouches and her glowing headgear. I've never seen her in anything else. I'm in my casual clothes, a simple top and pants with geometric shapes on it, and of course my Peacemaker's focus. I never leave home without it. As we wait, I wonder when the last time she actually went out to do something she enjoyed, that wasn't revenge or Snaff fueled.

"Ah there she is! Batanga!" I waved to the small blonde asura, who cheerfully waved back. If anyone could get Zojja to loosen up, it would be her. Batanga is an Order of Whispers Agent I befriended some time ago. A thief with a love of gossip, we got along well and often chatted with each other. She was wearing something fancier, a bright red silk shirt with gold trim, and wide black pants. It looked stunning on her.

"Tippa! Zojja, an honor as always," Batanga smiled. "Oh and you brought Sparkles! I didn't realize you identified it as female."

"MISTER Sparkles," Zojja corrected. "And I didn't gender him, he came that way. Why would it matter?"

Batanga turned to me. "Didn't you say this was going to be a female fraternization only outing?" she asked.

"We can make an exception for Mr. Sparkles, can't we?" I smiled.

"Well YOU can, but the place I'm thinking of might not," the edges of Batanga's mouth turned down slightly.

"Savant, I can't relax in any place that won't take Mr. Sparkles," Zojja stated. Her arms were crossed stubbornly across her chest, and she took a protective step toward her golem.

Batanga sighed. "I'll talk to the establishment, I'm sure they can make an exception. If not, there's other places we can-"

A wave of sonic energy knocked us off our feet, followed by a cloud of smoke. It hit us fast from behind, and I'm face first in the dirt. I looked around to see Batanga stunned a few meters from me, but she managed to sit herself upright. Batanga and I were flung away in the blast, but Mr. Sparkles had shielded his owner. As the smoke starts to dissipate I can see Zojja's body lying still on the ground. Not good. Being a guardian definitely had some fantastic passive perks, my aegis shielding me from any damage.

"Critical-error! Critical-error! Emergency-shu-shu-shut-dooooooooown," Mr. Sparkle's monotone voice droned.

As I get closer, I see that there are dangerous looking sparks flickering through the smoke. It looks like they're coming off of him. I know a golem about to explode when I see it, and I rushed to get Zojja away from him. Luckily, Batanga was far enough away that she would get some scrapes and bruises, but be intact. The same wasn't true for Zojja. An explosion that close would mean serious injury or death.

I get to Zojja and hoist one of her arms over my shoulder. I glance at Mr. Sparkles; no way I can get out of his blast radius in time. Sorry, Zojja, this is the best I can do for now . . .

I focus my magic through my vocal chords and Shout.

"Retreat!"

Zojja is still unconscious, so even with the extra boost in speed, I won't be able to move far. What was more important was the soft blue shield that faintly glowed around us. I continued to hobble away with her, and hope that we can get far enough away before my spell wears off.

We're hit again from behind as Mr. Sparkles explodes. The force blew us forward, and we hit the ground face first. Ouch. I didn't think it was possible to shock someone out of unconsciousness, but this seemed to be the case for Zojja. The blast tore her from my side, and she mumbled incoherently a few yards from me.

I get up again, and taste iron in my mouth. Blood. An aegis shield can make its wearer nigh invulnerable, but it's not invincible. It saved us from the initial energy blast, but not the shock of being thrown headfirst into the ground. I spit the blood from my mouth and slowly flex my limbs. The aegis took the brunt of the force, but I'm still in pain. My mind is fuzzy, very hard to concentrate after getting hit with two blasts back to back. Focus, Tippa! Focus! That's right! I fumble to find my Peacemaker's focus in my pants. A small regeneration spell would be just the thing! Its times like these I'm thankful to be such a hardy soldier. I'm not at full capacity, but looking between Zojja and myself, she was definitely worse for wear.

Zojja was now sitting on the ground, holding her head. She's still disoriented, and the look in her eyes is dull.

"Z-zojja, can you hear me?" I cough a little, the taste of blood still in my mouth. She doesn't respond, but struggles to stand. She's wobbling a little, but manages to get on her feet.

I see him out of the corner of my eye. The smoke is fading, and I see a lone figure through it. He (She?) is holding something in their hands. Drawing back their arm, they throw it towards Zojja at full force.

I compel my body to break into a run. I ignore the pain and push forward. I force Zojja out of the way, right as the item hits me in the face. It explodes into a fine powder, which smells like rock salt and dead leaves.

My knees give way from under me, and my body seizes. I can't move my arms. Ground coming at me. Pain. Can't focus. PAIN.


	2. Chapter 2: Zojja's Bad Night

The asura awoke staring at the sky. At first she thought she hadn't opened her eyes, the view was so dark. Slowly she saw the soft flicker of stars and a slim white curve. It was the moon, a slim crescent, smiling down at her. She could hear noises, people possibly? Bleary eyed, she turned her head to see a human hovered over her, a medic's symbol on his chest.

"She's awake!" he called out. He turned toward her with a look of concern. "Miss Zojja, can you hear me?"

She blinked. Yes, she was Zojja. Why was she here? Why wasn't she in her lab? Where was Mr. Sparkles?

"She's not responding!" the medic called.

"I'll . . . respond . . . when there's . . . something to respond to," Zojja said slowly. Things were slowly piecing themselves back together. The Savant was to take her out to dinner in Lion's Arch. They were waiting for someone and . . .

"Miss Zojja, there was an attack in the main plaza," another human, this time in shiny gold armor. "I know this is a delicate time, but we need to get a statement from you as soon as possible."

She slowly stood up and dusted herself off, her body aching all over.

"Where are they? Where's Mr. Sparkles?" she asked.

The Lionguard looked confused. "You were in an explosion," he spoke slowly and calmly, "I need you to-"

"I heard you the first time," Zojja snapped. "I'm asking where the Savant and Batanga are, as well as the condition of my GOLEM, Mr. Sparkles." She was starting to feel more like herself. Zojja brushed past the Lionguard to exit the tent. They were still in the main plaza, and there were a few other tents set up. Portions were cordoned off to keep onlookers at bay. Scanning around, she didn't see the Savant or Batanga.

The Lionguard came behind her, and lightly touched her shoulder. She brushed it off and looked at him in irritation.

"Well? Where are they?" Zojja fumed. She felt a dull ache from the back of her head, but ignored it. There were more pressing matters.

"Do you mean Lionguard Batanga? She took off to one of the far tents with another asura. I can-"

"I can find them, THANKS," and Zojja went off without a backward glance. She had seen the gleam of an energy crystal, and was certain it was from Mr. Sparkles. Apparently "Lionguard" Batanga was taking care of Tippa, so they should be fine. Not surprising for an Order of Whispers Agent to have a few aliases.

Getting to the site of the gleam, Zojja silently praised her sharp eyes. It was indeed Mr. Sparkles, and he was in shambles. He was still whole, but he no longer glowed with energy, and his usual blue lights were gone. Too much damage for her to fix here without the proper equipment, she'd have to just salvage what was important. She quietly took some tools out of her belt, and pried the main core data crystal out of its socket. Anyone with that information could get some very sensitive data and know more about her golem than she'd ever want them to. Everything else was too damaged or unworthy of being taken with her.

Zojja began inspecting the golem. From the looks of it, Mr. Sparkles had absorbed the majority of the initial blast, and channeled the energy into itself for later disbursement. She barely remembered the first blast, but did recall seeing the Savant and Agent Batanga blown away from her. Unfortunately it couldn't safely discharge the energy later, which was most likely where the second blast came from. No burns are scorch marks around. This information combined with his ability to absorb the energy meant the bomb was arcane in nature. Most likely Inquest, they did love their arcane energy blasts. The troubling thing was that there was enough energy released that Mr. Sparkles couldn't safely discharge it later or back at the source in a concentrated attack (something she'd perfected on him long ago). Very unusual.

Zojja frowned, and then pulled out her 2-way lab communicator. She promised the Savant she would leave the lab for the night, but she hadn't promised to stay out of touch with her krewe.

"Snaff Memorial Lab, come in, this is Zojja," she called.

"This is Snaff Memorial Lab, how can we help you?" the voice was static and crackles, but she could hear them well enough. She recognized the voice as Klunk, a newly hired krewemember.

"Klunk, get a pick up krewe to Lion's Arch immediately. Mr. Sparkles is down," she ordered.

"Do you need-"

"You're talking to me, so that means you're not getting down here. Get a full golem transport to get him back to the lab NOW," she snapped. She shut off the device, and made her way to the far tents.

Looking around, she noticed that tents were still being put up, and citizens treated. That meant she hadn't been out for long. Good, they could regroup and figure out what happened. No one messes with her golem and gets away with it.

She found Batanga in the third tent she checked. She was no longer in that gaudy outfit, but changed into her more practical Whispers uniform. The blonde asura was hovering over the Savant, who was sitting upright but looked decidedly placated. The Savant was heavily bruised on her arms and legs, with a large cut on her lower lip. She noticed her as she came into the tent and gave a wide smile.

"Baldy!" the Savant said happily.

"WHAT," Zojja replied.

"Calm down, Tippa's not herself," Batanga sighed. She finished bandaging a cut on the Savant's arm and stood to face her.

The Savant giggled. Something was wrong. The Savant had her silly moments, but not during times of crisis. She was a soldier and a capable leader who shined during times like these. She did not giggle and call names when lives might be on the line.

"Savant?" asked Zojja cautiously.

The Savant didn't respond, instead she slowly tilted to the side until she fell over. She then proceeded to roll back and forth, oblivious to Zojja's shock.

"What did that bomb _do_?!" Zojja was horrified. This was worse than death. The Savant, HER Savant, was now an idiot.

"Not the bomb," Batanga said calmly. "Poison, from a powder on her face. I've collected a sample and sent it to my order already." Batanga was quickly putting away her medical supplies, and jotting down notes.

Zojja came closer and tried to stop the Savant from her rolling. That didn't work, and instead she tripped and ended up on the floor with her. Zojja managed to pin down the Savant.

"Savant! SAVANT!" Zojja yelled. "Compose yourself!"

Batanga sighed. "That's not going to work. That poison did a number on her. Don't worry, I'm taking care of it."

Batanga grabbed the Savant, pulling her out from under Zojja and onto her feet. She put her arm around the addled asura to steady her, and began to make their way out the back of the tent.

"Where are you taking her?" Zojja asked, picking herself off the floor.

"Don't you have a golem to worry about?" Batanga replied coldly.

"My krewe is taking care of it, and you didn't answer me," she snapped. "We should take her back to Rata Sum, we can run tests-"

Batanga ignored her and continued to lead the Savant away. The Savant could walk, but not without assistance. She was humming to herself, blissfully unaware of the tension around her.

Zojja gritted her teeth and ran in front of the pair.

"I'm trying to help, why aren't you listening to me?!" snapped Zojja.

Batanga paused walking, and looked hard at her, ears back in an aggressive posture.

"Do you see what kind of condition she's in? We don't have TIME to run back to your lab and do tests, and we have no idea what going through a gate could do to her. Do you even know what just happened?"

"There was a bomb, the Savant was poisoned-"

"She was poisoned trying to help you" Batanga snapped. "That's what witnesses say."

"When did you have time to interview witnesses? What else do you know?"

Batanga snorted and began walking again. "Do you know how much danger Tippa is in right now? Neurological poisons are nasty, and often have long term or irreversible effects. I don't have time to talk to you and help her at the same time."

"Which is why you need my help. I can-"

"You want to know what happened?" Batanga huffed. "Tippa risked her life for you, pushing you out of the way of the poison shot that was meant for _you_. If things were reversed, I don't think you'd do the same. Frankly, I'm surprised you haven't ran back to your lab, and forgot her like your other pet projects."

"You don't know me!" Zojja spat.

Without the forward momentum carrying her, the Savant was leaning dangerously away from her support. Batanga pulled her close then continued.

"I don't, but I know your type. I see it all the time in my work. A hotshot with a heavy dose of talent who doesn't care about anyone. Think they can do it all themselves. New recruits like that don't last long in my line of work. They can get the job done, sure, but being in the Order of Whispers-well, any of the orders, is much more than that. Most likely why you could never get into one."

"How DARE-"

Batanga cut her off with a snarl. "How dare I what? Bring up how you've discarded apprentices like used handkerchiefs? How once someone is no longer useful, you dump him or her by the wayside? How many of your former "Savants" are you even still in contact with? That you even remember? You've gone through HUNDREDS of krewe members in the past 5 years! That's ridiculous! Given your record I can't see how you expect me to think you're genuine."

The bald asura was quiet for a moment. Not the point of her rant, but the possibility of the attacker being in one of those groups was disturbingly high, if it wasn't the Inquest. Also it would make it harder to find out the assailants identity.

"I'm going to help Tippa. If you're serious about this, you'll have to trust me. You don't have any expertise in poisons, and going back to Rata Sum would waste time. But feel free to pick up the pieces of your precious golem and take it back to your lab. I can handle this on my own." Batanga continued to lead Tippa away, disappearing into the night.

Zojja felt the rage swell inside her, but swallowed her anger. Batanga was right; Zojja was not an expert in poisons or alchemy. She grudgingly knew that if anyone would be an expert on the subject, it would be a Whispers member. Zojja wanted to wait for her krewe to oversee Mr. Sparkles' clean up, but that would have to wait. She would deal with Mr. Sparkles later, after she helped the Savant. Zojja adjusted her belt, then followed Batanga and the Savant into the dark. Batanga didn't know her, and she'd show that blonde just how true that was.

* * *

**Author's Note:** . . . and now for Zojja's POV! The rest of the story will be told from her perspective. Writing for her was fun!


	3. Chapter 3: Assassin's Reflection

Assassin's Reflection

He sighed. This wasn't going as planned at all. Everything was so perfectly set up. He hadn't expected someone to risk their life for Zojja outside of Destiny's Edge and they were nowhere near the scene. And it was another asura no less! He shook his head in disbelief.

He hid nearby when the Lionguard arrived, carefully watching the scene unfold. His target was up faster than he anticipated, and he quietly stalked her as she inspected her broken golem. He smiled. That electro-arcane bomb worked perfectly; stunning people nearby, and causing an overload to the golem's core processing. That second blast from the golem's discharge would've been enough to kill or maim Zojja, but he hadn't expected a guardian with a penchant for brave heroics to get in his way.

But that's what backup plans were for. He postulated that Zojja might find some way to avoid or nullify the second explosion, and that's why he had the powder. A part of him actually wanted the powder as his plan A, but experience told him that a fast, sure death to your enemy got the job done, even if it wasn't as satisfying.

Zojja finished inspecting her golem, and proceeded to yell angrily into a communication device. As charming as ever. She looked into other tents, gathering information about the attack no doubt. He'd have to rethink his plan. Not a problem, he just needed to go to his other back up plan. One can never have too many backup plans, one of the many things he learned as a Whispers Agent.

Pulling out his own communication device, he turned it on and called up one of his accomplices.

"Klunk?"

"GAH! I thought you were HER," a nervous voice responded from the other end. "She-she just called us! I didn't think I'd get a call from her! Because, you know . . ."

"Things didn't go as planned. I assume she told you to pick up the golem?"

"Yes! Like we're her garbage collectors! Doesn't even want us to try to fix-"

"That's how she is," he interjected calmly. "I want you and the others to bring it to these coordinates. Don't worry, you'll get your chance to "fix" her golem."

"I-yes! Will do!" Klunk replied. The device turned off with a static crackle, and he rubbed his temples.

In the exchange he'd lost sight of Zojja, but it didn't matter. He wanted her to lose her intelligence, to suffer, be the fool, but he was flexible. Death would suffice.


	4. Chapter 4: Farmer's Market

**Author's note:** This is the chapter. The one that pushed this to an M. No rampant or graphic sex/violence scenes, but enough sex references that I'm putting it as an M, just in case.

* * *

"Where are you taking her?" Zojja demanded.

"Oh you decided to come along? Then help me carry her," Batanga said.

Zojja moved to the opposite side of Tippa, and placed her arm around her shoulders. Zojja wanted to ask how long Batanga held such contempt for her, but didn't want to risk another fight. Not that she was afraid, but the Savant was her main priority. It was a shock having Batanga speak to her in that way, their previous conversations had always been respectful. The Savant's situation struck a nerve apparently.

"We're going to the Farmer's Market," Batanga said quietly. She was scanning around her every so often, her ears pricked and on alert.

"There's one open this late?" Zojja asked.

Batanga gave a quick laugh. "Don't get out much do you?"

"Not to get some fruits and vegetables at night!"

Batanga laughed again, and Zojja quietly fumed. The Savant was now muttering strange things to herself, and wobbling as they carried her.

"Gixx, Gixx, Gixx," the Savant mumbled. "Or Gorr? Gooooooorrrrrr . . ."

Zojja furrowed her brow. The Savant was definitely lost in what little of her mind was left. Why couldn't she at least mutter about her projects and not her love life? Who cares about that?

"Here we are!" Batanga said. They were outside a plain looking house, with a drunk charr resting to the side of the door. An indoor farmer's market seemed an odd thing to have in Lion's Arch, and nothing about the establishment gave any indication it was a place to buy and sell produce.

"Whatcha lookin at?" he slurred.

"It's what I'm looking FOR that you should care about," Batanga said lightly. "I'm here for the vegetables. I hear they're the best in town."

"How can you know that?" he asked

"I know what cannot be known."

The charr looked the three of them over, then banged thrice on the door. Zojja heard the sound of a bolt unlocking, and the door opened. The three of them awkwardly scurried inside as the door shut behind them.

The interior of the house was the exact opposite of its plain exterior, large and ornate with intricate leafy murals painted on the walls. The structure of the room was unlike anything Zojja had seen. There were tables with patrons around them, with a column in the middle of each that stretched to the ceiling. The columns were much too thin for support, and as her eyes adjusted to the bright light she realized they were more like poles. On some tables there were sylvari dancers using them to perform acrobatic feats, in very revealing clothing.

"I didn't know you could do the splits on the ceiling!" the Savant said in amazement.

A wave of relief washed over Zojja. A full sentence! Grammar and language wasn't as badly affected as she thought. What the Savant said soaked in and she glanced up. Looking up, Zojja could see an especially limber sylvari was, indeed, upside-down executing the splits on the ceiling. His feet were firmly planted between two planks that ran horizontally across the ceiling, the force keeping him suspended there. Presumably he'd climbed up the pole to reach the spot. Things slowly fell into place for Zojja.

"Farmer's Market as in a market for FLESH?!" Zojja was on the verge of screaming.

"Fiber. They're made of plants remember?" Batanga calmly replied. "I have to go find my contact. Stay here and watch Tippa won't you? Thanks."

"What-no-you can't-" Zojja protested but it was too late. The blonde asura slipped into the crowd and disappeared. Zojja ground her teeth in frustration. As much as she was getting tired of Batanga, she had to admire her skill. There was no way she and the Savant could follow without making a scene. She'd have to find a table (preferably one without a dancer on it) and wait for her to come back.

Zojja scanned the room, and noticed there was a small vacant couch not too far from them. She shuddered to think what happened on that furniture, but they couldn't stand gawking in front of the door. Looking at the Savant, she noticed her focused intently on something. Following her gaze, Zojja found herself staring at a bare sylvari's groin.

"So they DO have penises. Penii? Peniis? Penieses?" the Savant babbled.

"Savant!" snapped Zojja furiously. She could feel her face flush.

"Do they ejaculate seeds?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"Care to find out?" the sylvari asked coyly.

Zojja was fit to burst. This was too much. TOO MUCH.

She led the Savant away from the sylvari to the couch. Zojja silently cringed at the soft, squishy noise that came from it when they sat. An asura patron noticed them, but she shot him a nasty glance, and proceeded to ignore him. Coming close to the Savant, she cupped the addled asura's face in her hands and looked deep into her eyes. The Savant was at least talking in full sentences now, so maybe there was a chance she could get through to her.

"Savant, I need you to focus. No-Stop looking at genitalia, FOCUS ON ME," she took a deep breath to calm herself. This seemed to work, and for a moment the Savant's eyes were bright and clear. Zojja recognized that look of determination and intelligence back when she first met her and she presented the VOED to her, those years ago.

"I need you to try to remember who did this to you. Did you get a good look at him or her?" Zojja asked.

"I'm sorry," the Savant said softly, placing one of her hands over Zojja's. Zojja could see she was trying, if only -"I was completely wrong. If they ejaculate anything, it would be pollen."

Zojja's hands fell from the Savant's face, but the befuddled asura didn't notice.

"Really what else would they release? It's so obvious!" she continued, oblivious to Zojja, who was now balling up her fists.

The pale asura from earlier, who hadn't stopped watching their conversation, walked over to the two of them.

"How much?" he asked.

Zojja slowly turned her head toward him. A burning fire behind her eyes, and a twitch of her right eye were obvious, but the interloper didn't notice, or possibly even care.

"Yeah you, the Zojja look-alike. How much?"

With a quick flurry of fists, he was on the floor, crying in pain.

"Se-security! SECURITY! HELP!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks to Charr-smash for the Farmer's Market pun!


	5. Chapter 5: Questions and Answers

It took several guards to peel Zojja off of him. Once she was properly restrained, arms behind her back, the guards took her up a staircase and into an opulent, but dimly lit room.

As she came down from her anger, Zojja realized the Savant was not near her. She began to panic, but then another guard placed the Savant carefully on the floor next to her. She let out a sigh of relief.

"I'd prefer if you didn't beat the patrons," a sultry male voice said. "Unless they're paying for it. Some of them are here for that."

"I can't leave you alone at all, can I?" said another voice. Zojja recognized the second voice as Batanga. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark room, she could make out her figure and that of a sylvari lounging next to her.

The Savant was now absorbed in running her hands over the rug they were on. The sylvari stood, and walked to her.

"Zojja, this is Gideon, my contact and owner of this fine establishment," Batanga smiled.

"How's a floramonger supposed to help us?" Zojja snarled as she worked to free her hands from their restraints. Her hands were bound behind her back, so she couldn't get a good look at what was holding them. Distressed that her magic wasn't breaking the bonds, and without any lockpicking tools she felt herself at a loss. She did not like being this powerless.

"I do far more than that," he sighed. "But you're not here to trade insults, yes?" He handed Batanga a small round object, and she came over to her. Waving it behind Zojja's back, she felt her restraints lift, and she began rubbing her wrists. The blonde asura smugly held up what looked like a pair of ordinary handcuffs.

"Whispers grade cuffs, specially designed for magic users," Batanaga smirked.

Zojja scowled. She was this close to wiping that smirk off the agent's face with a well placed spell, but stopped when she saw the sylvari inspecting the Savant. He was slowly moving his hand in front of her face, watching her reactions. Zojja noted the Savant's delayed reactions, and he gently opened one of her eyes, and then inspected her nose and mouth.

"You smell like bananas," the Savant cooed.

"Thank you," Gideon replied.

"Well? Do you know what did this to her?" asked Zojja.

"Know it? I helped develop it!" he replied. "You know Rypp? Thin asura, gray, lots of white spots? He's a former partner. We were refining some of the older Whispers recipes, specifically the memory degrading ones."

"The ones that don't work on asura and charr," Batanga interjected. Zojja shot her a look. She didn't like information being withheld from her. "I recognized some of the symptoms, I just didn't want you to worry," Batanga reassured her.

"Thanks," replied Zojja sarcastically.

The sylvari nodded, not taking his eyes off the Savant. "Well we got it to work. Not as well as the other versions. Instead of it looking like a slow, subtle slide into dementia, it does . . . that." He responded, gesturing at the Savant, who was now counting the threads in the rug with glee.

"Then you can fix it," Zojja said. "How long will it take and what do you need?"

"Calm down," he responded. "I don't know if Rypp used our formula, or his own variation. The sample you gave me is a good start, but it'll take time for me to properly identify it."

"Then ASK HIM," demanded Zojja.

"I would, but no one knows where he is," Gideon was completely unmoved by Zojja's ferocity. "He disappeared a few months ago, with some sensitive Whispers information."

"Rypp is a rogue agent. This is NOT good," Batanga looked at the Savant with concern.

"It can be," he mused. "After all, this was a careless mistake, attacking such a high-profile target with our signature poison."

"Actually I was the target," Zojja said. "But that doesn't matter. What does matter is curing the Savant." She noticed Batanga's ears twitch when she said the word "Savant". In previous conversations it was barely noticeable, but lately it was becoming more apparent. Using an asura's title is perfectly fine, and Zojja passingly wondered why it would irritate her.

The sylvari knelt and inspected the Savant again.

"If Rypp was using our formula, you're in luck; it'll wear off on its own without constant dosage."

Zojja's ears perked up. " . . . in about a month," he finished.

"You can't expect me to wait a MONTH with the Savant's intelligence on the line!" snapped Zojja.

"Even when it wears off, without treatment it'll leave long-term effects; disorientation, a decline in intelligence, constipation, headaches," Gideon calmly listed off the side effects, to Zojja's growing horror. He got up and went to a dresser, and began to look through its contents, searching for something.

"Once I'm certain of the poison's makeup, there's two choices: It's the poison we developed and I can use our antidote. Or its something different and I'll have to develop my own."

"What's the shortest, best case scenario on time?" Batanga asked.

Gideon paused his search. "Too long," he said quietly. "You're better off hunting down Rypp and getting answers from him."

"All roads lead to him," murmured Batanga.

"There has to be something I can do for her now! I can't leave the Savant like this, I-"

"TIPPA! Her name is TIPPA!" Batanga groaned. "Let that title go!"

Zojja straightened up and looked Batanga in the eye. "Being the Snaff Savant is a high honor-"

"Sure, but higher than being an Explorer at the Durmand Priory? Higher than being the Commander of the Pact, an army composed of Tyria's three most influential organizations?!"

"She's still the Savant!"

Batanga gave a derisive laugh. "That really says it all doesn't it? She's worth more to you as a trophy to your former master than anything she accomplishes. I can't believe Tippa views you as a friend."

"You're one to talk! Like you aren't "friends" with her because or your orders!" snapped Zojja. "That's right, I know your order shadows high profile people. You're just here because if she dies on your watch you'd be disgraced!"

"I can neither confirm nor deny what you just said," Batanga responded calmly. "But I can say that the Order recognizes her importance. Personally, I respect and care for her because of who she is, not as a walking testament to a dead asura."

A crackle of electricity sprung around Zojja's wrists. Batanga responded by going into a defensive stance, her hands hovering over her weapons. Zojja wasn't close to the agent. When she had reached out to the Order of Whispers they gave Batanga as her contact. They were cordial to one another, and the agent could be irritatingly vague, but they'd never fought. Batanga's exterior was calm, but her words cut deep. The two stared at each other, fists clenched, jaws tight.

A slow squeal, like the sound of air escaping a wet sack broke the tension. The three slowly turned in the sound's direction, to see the Savant on her back, knees to her chest, rocking back and forth on the floor. Aware all eyes were on her, she blinked dumbly at them for a moment before coming to a realization.

"Oh that was me? That was me!" she giggled. "Stinky!"

Gideon stepped in, taking advantage of the interruption. "Dumplings, we need to keep this professional. If this goes on, you'll never help the Commander or catch Rypp."

The electricity faded from Zojja's wrists and Batanga relaxed.

"Now, I've got a picture of Rypp," he handed a piece of paper to Batanga, who then gave it to Zojja.

It was a drawing of Gideon and a small grey asura with white spots. The two looked excited, holding a strange plant up together. Zojja's eyes widened and her nostrils flared in recognition.

"You know him?" asked Batanga.

"Know him?! He was my right hand in my lab a few years ago!" Zojja replied.

"Really? He made no mention of you when we worked together," said Gideon.

"One day he didn't show up and never came back. I have no idea why, and I didn't care. I was busy salvaging a project and I just assumed he buckled under the pressure."

The two agents exchanged glances. Zojja noticed and felt her cheeks flush. Was her reputation really that bad? Not that it mattered, she was a genius and that's all that asura ultimately cared about.

"At least we have another piece of the puzzle," sighed Batanga. "Gideon, I need you to watch Tippa and keep the Order informed. Zojja and I will go look for Rypp."

"Will she be safe here?" asked Zojja.

"Safer here than with us. When Rypp realizes his attack failed, he'll most likely try again," Batanga replied.

"He'd be a fool to try again knowing that I'm ready for him," scoffed Zojja.

"He was already a fool for trying to attack you in a public place in the company of the Pact Commander and a Whispers agent. A fool like that is dangerous and unpredictable."

Zojja snorted dismissively, but the truth of Batanga's words weren't lost on her.

"We should get going. I wouldn't be surprised if he had someone following us. No way of knowing if he has others working for him," Batanga said as she walked toward the door. Zojja followed behind her, but paused at the entrance to take a look at the Savant. She was now curled up in a fetal position on the floor, snoring lightly.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," Gideon said, as he carefully tried to move her to the bed. "I'll get the best Whispers agents on the job to guarantee her safety."

Zojja didn't respond, but instead turned away and exited the room.


	6. Chapter 6: The Hunt is on

Batanga led her not back the way they came, but through a smaller entrance in the back. They squeezed through a small corridor and the pair were once again outside in the chill night air.

"Use me," Zojja suggested.

"What?" asked Batanga.

"Use me as bait. Rypp wants me, we can use that to bring him out."

"A good idea, but I'd rather not risk any lives needlessly."

Zojja's eyeridges raised in surprise.

"Just because I don't like you doesn't mean I want you dead," Batanga sighed. "Besides Tippa would ever forgive me if something happened to you on my watch."

A long silence stretched between them.

"It's still the best plan," Zojja said stubbornly. "I bang Rypp's cage, you and your shadow friends take him out." A rattling buzz came from one of Zojja's many pockets. She pulled a small device from one and frowned at it.

"What's wrong?" Batanga asked.

"It's Mr. Sparkles' distress signal. It goes off if someone's been tampering with him," her mouth was still in a hard frown. This wasn't right. She gave specific instructions for her krewe to MOVE Mr. Sparkles back to the lab, not to repair or touch him otherwise. "Don't mess with Mr. Sparkles" was rule number one, and her krewe knew it. She'd gotten rid of many krewemembers who were too excited over him for their own good.

"Do you think its Rypp?" Batanga asked.

"He'd be a fool to mess with my golem, and since we've established that he is one, yes. We'll find out when we get to Mr. Sparkles," Zojja replied. She tapped the device and continued. "Homing beacon, this will take us right to him."

* * *

Rypp watched as a few of Zojja's krewe defectors worked on the golem. He'd rather not have involved them, but it was something he couldn't do alone.

"It's just fascinating!" exclaimed Klunk. "Just amazing!"

"How much longer?" asked Rypp, he idly cracked his knuckles.

"Should be done within the hour!" Klunk replied cheerfully. A few other of Zojja's (former) krewe were fitting in new crystals and working on the AI. They were familiar enough with Zojja and her methods to make working on the golem faster than if he were alone. Zojja was clever and cruel, and he knew she'd be even more motivated with her prize possession on the line.

"Once you're done, take the schematics and go," Rypp said. "You won't want to be here when Zojja shows up."

All work stopped as the asuras looked at him in fear.

"Why would she show up? We're perfectly hidden aren't we?!" Klunk stuttered. He looked around, wringing his hands.

"Because I'm calling her here," he replied cooly. "I can't think of a better fate than what I have in store for her." Rypp held up a small metal object with a blinking blue light. "I'd guess you've got about . . . 2 hours before she shows up."

The asuras quickly scrambled back to work.

* * *

The two followed the beacon, with Zojja in the lead and Batanga close behind. They walked in silence through Lion's Arch northern exit, and continued in silence until they were well outside the city's gates.

"Have you always hated me, or is this a recent development due to the Savant's condition?" asked Zojja.

"I've always respected you," Batanga replied.

"Didn't answer my question, but its not unusual. I know many respect me, but few like me," Zojja sniffed.

Batanga sighed. "Wasn't fond of you before, angry at you now because of Tippa," she admitted. "Remember what I said before about new recruits in my Order?"

"The insult? Yes," she said.

"Well they don't always end like that. Sometimes, there's this click that happens with them. They start to see beyond themselves, they realize they're part of a whole larger world. A world that they want to help. I saw that in Tippa," Batanga continued. "Seeing that "click" is the reason why I love being a recruiter. She's one of the good ones, Tyria can't afford to lose people like her. I . . . let my personal feelings get in the way of my professionalism. I can assure you it won't happen again."

Zojja didn't respond and instead focused on her homing beacon. She understood. She was all too familiar with what it was like to lose "one of the good ones."

"I-I do want to help Tippa. Not just because she's the Savant," Zojja said quietly. "She's the only asura I can stand to be around for more than a few minutes." More accurately, could stand to be around her, but Zojja would never admit that.

"She's really tolerant of people with strong personalities," Batanga gave a small smile.

"She is." As much as Zojja loathed to admit it, she owed a lot to the Savant.

The Savant-Tippa- quickly became a solid fixture in her affairs. Showing up when she least expected it to lend a helping hand, and at first it was mildly irksome. Zojja was more than capable of handling any problems sent her way, and didn't need a meddlesome upstart looking to make a name hanging around. Tippa wasn't the first asura to try to get on her good side, and she expected her to leave or show that she couldn't live up to her title. Zojja was proven wrong on both accounts. Tippa demonstrated her abilities as an above average asura, able to keep making innovating projects, rising through the ranks of the Priory to become the General's right hand in the Pact. Zojja may never have forgiven Eir if it wasn't for her. Despite herself, Zojja had grown fond of her, and felt a twinge of guilt over the entire situation. She had to set things right, before it was too late.


	7. Chapter 7: Prime Directive

The beacon flashed rapidly and the buzzing intensified.

"This is it?"

"This is it."

The two asura stood in front of a large shack in Gendarran Fields. The moon was high in the air, and cows were quietly sleeping nearby.

"Underground lair no doubt," Zojja said.

"I'll go first," Batanga went ahead, quietly breaking the lock on the shack.

Inside, was nothing. Well, nothing out of the ordinary for a shack. Some garden tools, a sack of fertilizer, some seed pouches. The homing beacon was flickering faster than ever, and the noise it was emitting rose. Batanga was inspecting everything, running her hands along the shack's walls and picking up items.

"Ah HA!" Batanga's investigating paid off, and she pressed a small, green button concealed by a flower-pot. The ground beneath them lurched, and a steel door closed behind them. Zojja felt them descend downwards. A cleverly disguised elevator.

Zojja tapped her toe impatiently, a scowl on her face. She was going to destroy Rypp, and had several ideas all worked out, each nastier than the last. As they descended, she wondered if she should make a back up of Mr. Sparkles. Zojja knew she could take care of herself, but she had no idea what she was getting into, and having a bit of arcane-tech back up couldn't hurt. Maybe something smaller and more compact to contrast with Mr. Sparkles? Wasn't Tippa working on micro golems? Thinking about her back at that bordello, a dullard, enraged Zojja even more.

"We're slowing down. Get ready, there's no way to know what we'll face," Batanga warned.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Zojja nodded. Using the elevator was a dead giveaway to Rypp that someone was coming. She readied her dagger and focus, while Batanga held her own weapons firmly.

The elevator stopped, and the door slowly slid open. A large room was before them, filled with various parts and unused crystals. Unmarked boxes and plants under dim white lights lined the left side. There was a door at the far end and on the right.

"Let's split up," Zojja suggested. "I'll go ahead, you take the door to the right."

Batanga nodded, and the two went their separate ways.

* * *

Zojja carefully made her way through the facility. Years of infiltrating and destroying Inquest bases came in handy in these kind of situations. She avoided securi-cams and traps with ease, but she couldn't let her guard down. Rypp had to know she was here, and Zojja noticed that the layout was definitely leading her in a singular direction. Only one exit in each room she went through, and she wondered why he even bothered, a straight hall would've done the same without all the hassle of having to hack the doors.

The door she was now in front of was different. It was larger and heavier than the earlier ones she entered, with glowing red alchemy symbols on it. No doubt behind this room was "the final showdown". Villains and their penchant for drama always annoyed her.

Zojja calmly hacked the panel beside the door and watched as it slid open. She knew she was walking straight into a trap, but what choice did she have? Tippa was counting on her. Preparing herself, she strode through with head held high.

The room was dark, but her eyes quickly adjusted as she scanned the room. A bright spotlight hit her, blinding her for a moment.

"Zojja," Rypp greeted her with a sneer. She couldn't see him, but she was positive that was his voice.

"Rypp," she replied. "Listen, I don't have a lot of time, so let's cut the witty banter and just fight."

"Oh? The great Zojja doesn't want to converse? You wound me," he said feigning hurt. "Too bad."

More lights came on, flooding the room with a harsh bright light. The room was a large hexagon, and looked quite a lot like any standard asuran lab. Various symbols and hexagons glowed on the wall, with interfaces running calculations flying by too fast for her to catch. Rypp was on the opposite end of the room, with a turret on either side of him. Behind him was a large door, pulsating with energy, engraved with various alchemy symbols like the one she entered. As usual she was right. Villains and their silly theatrics.

"Are you ready now?" Zojja sighed with a roll of her eyes.

Rypp cocked his head to the side. "You don't think I'm dangerous," he said.

"Your plan was dumb and poorly executed. I survived your explosion, and even if you had successfully poisoned me, it doesn't last without constant dosage," Zojja snarled. "There's no way you could keep it up."

"You've got more enemies in more places than you think," Rypp smirked. "How do you think I retrieved your old friend?"

The door behind him opened, with great fanfare. A light fog crept out, obscuring a large silhouette. As it came closer, she recognized the golem.

"Mr. Sparkles!" cried Zojja. A traitor, or more, in her krewe! Zojja prided herself on being able to weed out the Inquest spies and rivals. There's no conceivable way she could let the aforementioned asura into her krewe. Maybe Rypp preyed on her current krewe's insecurities and got them to turn on her. Neither of these thoughts sat well with her. She'd deal with it later.

"Execute prime directive!" she snapped at the golem. The "prime directive" was keeping her safe at all costs. It was an automatic override for any and all actions Mr. Sparkles would execute, a failsafe reboot.

No response. The golem, with its former blue lights glowing a dim red continued to walk forward until it stopped beside Rypp.

"Mr. Sparkles," Rypp said triumphantly. "What's your prime directive?"

"Subjugation-and-eradication-of-idiot-and-failure- to-asura-everywhere, Zojja," the golem droned.

"Your safety protocols aren't as genius as you like to believe," Rypp sneered.

Zojja ground her teeth. "I'm going to tear you in half with my bare hands for touching my golem!"

"Your bare hands are all you've got to defend yourself with," he smiled. "Mr. Sparkles, execute prime directive."


	8. Chapter 8: The Final Showdown

Rage blinded Zojja. Rypp hurt her friend, corrupted her krewe AND stole her golem. They were going to invent new words to describe what she was going to do to him! But first, she needed to deal with Mr. Sparkles.

Mr. Sparkles lunged forward with a punch that smashed into the ground. Zojja would be paste if she hadn't dodged out of the way. A bullet whizzed past her ear. Rypp was wielding a rifle and taking pot shots at her from a safe distance. Such a coward and a poor shot as well!

Zojja was wielding her dagger and focus, and switched to her favored attunement, air. She quickly cast swirling winds, causing a wind barrier to form around her. That should take care of Rypp's bullets for a bit. As for Mr. Sparkles . . .

Her golem was still pursuing her, undeterred by the wind barrier. As expected, that barrier was only meant to stop projectiles, not golems run amok. She knew exactly how to deal with him. Mr. Sparkles continued to charge toward her, and she held her ground. Just as he was within striking distance, she dodged deftly to the side. With a flick of her focus, she sent a concentrated blast of air at him. It knocked Mr. Sparkles off-balance, and she ran behind him quickly, setting off another spell. This time an overcharged arc of lightning sprang from her dagger, and the golem spasmed violently. Zojja didn't let up her attack, and let out a flurry of lightning whips, lashing Mr. Sparkles ferociously. She was quick, knowing the wind barrier would disappear at any moment.

Mr. Sparkles, still spasming, rights himself. Zojja dodges between his legs, putting the golem between her and Rypp, just as the protective gusts of wind disappear. She now had him as a temporary shield from Rypp's attacks. She knew Mr. Sparkles couldn't handle that much electricity in such a short span with the damage he'd taken earlier. Even with krewe defectors, there simply wasn't enough time to do a full repair. The stun wouldn't last long, he'd recover soon. But she wasn't done with Mr. Sparkles yet. Again, she lets out a concentrated arc of lightning, straight into her golem's chest.

Quickly putting her focus away, she pulled out her arcane prybar. Replacing a data crystal while a golem was still active was dangerous work for any golemancer, even a skilled one. Of course, Zojja was an extremely skilled golemancer, working on a golem she was intimately familiar with. Switching out the crystals would be simple.

Zojja could see Rypp running to a better sniping spot, but she was ready for him. An electrical field sprang around her, and she jammed the prybar into Mr. Sparkles chest. She channeled the arcane energy of the golem into her electric aura, giving it an extra boost in power. She felt the pressure of a bullet hit her, but her new defense destroyed it before it could do any damage. As a bonus, she knew that Rypp was getting a nasty shock for attacking her with this spell up. With the extra arcane energy and using all her strength, the data crystal popped from Mr. Sparkles chest.

"NO!" screamed Rypp.

"I BUILT him you idiot! You think I wouldn't know how to take out my golem?" snapped Zojja.

Zojja quickly put Mr. Sparkles' old data crystal back in. Still damaged from the bomb blasts earlier, but if her calculations were correct (and they always were), there should be enough information intact for her to get Mr. Sparkles back under her control.

Rypp, using his rifle, jumped forward, coming a few feet in front of Zojja. Setting his rifle, he let out an overcharged shot that launched Zojja away from her golem, at the cost of being thrown back as well. Luckily, the last of her shocking aura absorbed the damage, but she was flung into the wall, hitting it with a loud thud, and fell to the floor.

As she picked herself up, she looked at her golem with blurry eyes. Mr. Sparkles' lights flickered blue, then red, back and forth, again and again.

"Re-re-re-re-whirrrrr-bloot-err-error-system," Mr. Sparkles' stuttered.

No telling when he'll be back online. As her gaze focused, she could see Rypp getting up, recovering from his own attack. He looked at Mr. Sparkles, then at her. Their eyes locked for a moment and Zojja could see a flicker of fear in his eyes. Good. Now he knew the real trouble he was in. Rypp stood, and began to run.

"You're not going anywhere, you fallacious imbecile!" screamed Zojja.

The lightning around Zojja's wrists turned brown, the arcs of lightning becoming small rotating rocks. Etheral chains wrapped around Rypp's legs, breaking his run and holding him in place. Casting the second chain in the spell, Zojja propelled across the room, magnetically drawn to her target. She stuck out her leg right as she came into contact with him, delivering a powerful kick to Rypp's back.

Rypp doubled over in pain, and Zojja prepared to strike again. As she was about to summon a powerful earth spike, a bolt of lightning interrupts her. It knocks her off her feet, and she searches for the source. The turrets! She believed Rypp ran to get away, but really he just wanted to get her into the turret's range.

"HA!" he coughed, still on the floor, crawling closer to his turrets.

For a moment all was quiet, as both fighters retreated. Those turrets were going to be a problem. Most of Zojja's attacks were close range, but those turrets would make it much too dangerous a strategy. Converesly, Zojja was too fast and had enough defensive spells that Rypp couldn't deal much damage from his bunker, as long as she stayed out of range. A temporary stalemate.

Then came the sound of heavy footsteps. Both asura looked in Mr. Sparkle's direction. He was twitching erratically, and his lights still flickered rapidly, red and blue.

"Mr. Sparkles! Execute prime directive, NOW!" she ordered.

"No! Listen to me! Execute MY prime directive!" Rypp screamed.

Mr. Sparkles paused for a moment. "Ex-ex-cu-ting-ting-ting! Ting!" his voice was static and disjointed chirps. Considering the amount of abuse her poor golem suffered over the past day, he was holding up remarkably well. Zojja marveled at the quality of her work for a moment.

With an electric buzz, Mr. Sparkle's lights turned blue. "I-Ident-dent-target! Get! Get!" he stammered and with a clumsy gait advanced toward Rypp.

Rypp's ears dropped and his eyes widened. Even in a broken state, a golem was not something to fight lightly. He searched his coat quickly, and pulled out a small device. With a flick of a switch, the turrets rotated and focused on Mr. Sparkles. This was her chance!

Switching her attunement to water, she focused her magic. Ice crystals rapidly formed in the air above her, concentrating into a small, icy ball. Once fully formed, it rocketed toward Rypp, hitting him squarely in the head, dazing him. Zojja ran toward him, as Mr. Sparkles closed in. The electric turrets were slowing Mr. Sparkles' down, but he was still making his way toward his target. With turrets fully focused on the golem, Zojja reached Rypp without being hit, and stole the turret control device from him.

For extra measure, she focused her magic again, ice crystals forming in the air, this time around Rypp. With a snap, a burst of cold enveloped his body. He recoiled in pain, dropping his weapon as his body froze for a moment. She kicked the rifle away from him, and then kicked him in the stomach. He groaned and bent over in pain. Gripping her glyphic focus tightly, she upper-cutted him with it, the metal making a sickening crack noise against his chin. Certainly not as elegant as magic, but much more satisfying. Fiddling with the turret controls, she quickly had the turrets on her side.

"Target-get-get-in-range-" Mr. Sparkles stuttered. He was now close enough for attack protocols to begin.

"Mr. Sparkles! Cease and desist!" ordered Zojja.

The golem twitched again, electric sparks running across its body. He stopped moving.

"A-awaiting-ing-new-or-orders."

As much as Zojja loved to see her enemies decimated, she needed him alive; for the moment. After all, can't get information out of a dead asura. Or could you? Maybe that could be her next project.


	9. Chapter 9: Finale

"How does a golemancer become a poisoner anyway?" Zojja asked.

She was standing triumphantly over Rypp. The last bits of frost were fading from his body, and he was just coming back into consciousness.

"You ruined me Zojja," Rypp coughed, from his fetal position on the floor, his arms clutched across his stomach.

"You left," she responded coldly.

"Because you ORDERED me to! You-you don't even remember!" his voice cracking. He curled in on himself a little more. "You yelled at me, insulted me at the Golemancer's Annual Exhibition! Blamed ME for a simple error that everyone in our krewe missed! Told me to never "grace" your presence until I pulled my brain out of my behind! I left, but no one wanted to hire me after that. I was disgraced."

"You joined the Order of Whispers, you could've started over instead of staying infatuated with me," Zojja retorted.

Rypp laughed until it turned into a hoarse cough. "Are you listening to yourself? You couldn't get over Destiny's Edge for almost half a decade."

Zojja felt herself flush, and her patience grew thin. "Give me the antidote," snapped Zojja.

"Why? You weren't poisoned," Rypp uncurled himself slightly and glanced up at her, a confused look on his face. "Or are you going to use it on some-"

"For Tippa, you ignoramus!" Zojja sneered. "Or I could just kill you and go through your data, but that would take longer."

Rypp's eyes widened, then narrowed in anger. "NO. I'll never help you."

"Then its option two then," Zojja menacingly moved toward him, Mr. Sparkles coming behind her.

Rypp quickly reached into his long coat again and there was an audible click.

"Too late! That was a data wipe detonator. Have fun seeing your "friend" be an idiot forever!"

"I assume the data crystals need to be docked for that data wipe to work?" a voice from above called.

"Batanga!"

The blonde asura came down from the ceiling, followed by several Whispers agents. Rypp's eyes darted around, searching for an escape. His ears drooped in resignation, a sign of his acceptance of defeat. No escape for him.

Batanga held a blue data crystal in her hand and inspected it thoughtfully. "I'm sure there's an encryption on this, nothing that a good code breaking team can't handle. Or, our interrogators can persuade you to give over the access codes."

"I'll talk! For leniency!" Rypp's voice was strained. Zojja wondered what happened to rogue Whispers agents. Nothing good, she assumed, and any "lenient" punishment would most certainly be a swift death. After any and all useful information was taken out of the person, of course.

As the Agents led Rypp away, Zojja turned to Batanga. "Took you long enough to find the data," she quipped.

"Oh finding it was easy enough, and disabling the security and taking out the guard golems," Batanga smiled. "I was watching you for some time."

Zojja snorted. "So you just watched and let me do the work?"

"A good agent knows when to get involved and when to stay in the shadows. Come on, let's get that antidote," Batanga said as she followed the other Whispers agents into the shadows.

"I'll meet up with you outside the "Market." Hard to be stealthy with a broken golem," Zojja called.

She saw Batanga give a wave before she completely disappeared from view. Zojja turned and put her hand on her golem. Mr. Sparkles did not respond to her touch. She looked around at the small lab, and the damage done. All was quiet save for the odd fizzle of escaping arcane energy and the soft buzz of electricity. Zojja took one last look over her golem, before giving a heavy sigh. She had a lot of work to do.


	10. Epilogue: Full Circle

It's been a week since the attack, and I'm feeling so much better! Batanga filled me in on what happened while I was an idiot, as I don't remember much. Apparently it was a great adventure!

I think I'm well enough to be out of personal care, but Trahearne won't allow me back out into the field until I'm given a clean bill of health from my caretakers. They're being extra cautious, and its understandable, but I'm starting to get cabin fever. I've been holed up in this secret whispers base in Lion's Arch and the only people I see are medical practitioners and Batanga. I don't even know WHERE in Lion's Arch I'm being held! It's ridiculous.

Gixx somehow sent me a get well card and a miniature PK-632Z golem for me to play with while I'm out of commission. I have the feeling he's going to owe Doern quite a favor in return for getting it to me.

The only other contact I've had with the outside world is a simple letter from Zojja. When I get out of here, I'll have to take her up on her offer.

* * *

Tippa,

Heard you're doing better, as I knew you would. You're far too resilient for a neurochemical bomb to take you out. I've had to purge my entire krewe thanks to that idiot, so if you know anyone with a high proficiency in golemancy with a strong sense of loyalty, I'm all ears. I'm currently spending most of my free time hunting down Rypp's accomplices so that they can pay for their treachery. When that's done, I'd like to try your female fraternization outing again.

-Zojja


End file.
